Two hundred feet above the streets of Soho, a man prepares to jump.
Onlookers gathered below gaze up in fearful silence.

Yet the man's intention is not to kill himself, although that is a
distinct possibility. His aim is to express a philosophy, Le Parkour -
literally the obstacle course. It is a journey across rooftops,
conducted with the grace of a dancer, the strength of an athlete and the
discipline of a martial artist.

In his native France, David Belle is an urban hero whose movement has
attracted a large following - predominantly young adolescents from the
inner-city estates of Paris. In this country, he is almost unheard
of.

That is set to change, thanks to the Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO creatives
Tom Ewart and Dave Sullivan. Two months ago, the pair saw a snippet
about the movement on late night TV and were inspired to find out more,
using the internet. They were so fascinated by what they discovered that
they were determined to feature the movement in an ad. Ewart and
Sullivan were able to beat a team of Nike creatives to Belle, much to
their obvious delight.

"That's the great thing about the internet - discovering something and
plucking it from obscurity,

Ewart enthuses.

A few weeks later, a brief from the BBC landed fortuitously on their
desks. The challenge was to make people reassess BBC1 in its first
branding campaign. Instead of being perceived as staid old Auntie, the
channel of middle-England and the institution that Britons turn to at
times of national importance, BBC1 wants to bring in younger viewers,
emphasising its role as an entertainer and provider of unmissable
programmes.

Like all good commercials, Ewart and Sullivan's ad is a simple idea
based around a simple truth: the way people behave when there's
something good on TV, rushing home or changing their social
schedule.

Highlighting the must-see nature of BBC1, the story tells of one man's
intelligently unconventional journey home, in which he avoids the
gridlocked city by taking to the rooftops. Stripping off his shirt at
the office, our hero climbs out of the window, shimmies up the building
and performs a series of acrobatic leaps and tumbles until he reaches
the window of his apartment. Even then, his feet do not touch the ground
and he light-footedly springs across a table and on to the sofa.

As the viewer is left breathless, the protagonist casually leans back
and points the remote control at the TV, not even slightly out of
breath.

The ad, directed by Tom Carty, is mesmerising and visually sensational.
Aesthetics are central to Parkour and Carty has brilliantly captured the
sheer beauty of the protagonist, from his back, which ripples like a
swimmer's, to his elegant, balletic movements. The incredible fluidity
of the performance is emphasised by the laid-back, romantic music Sway,
a Rip-off Artist re-mix featuring the voices of both Dean Martin and
Julie London.

The ad promised to be a logistical nightmare, not least because wires
and safety nets were not an option. As Sullivan explains: "Le Parkour is
not just about big jumps, it's all about creating shapes in the air and
you only get that if you defy gravity."

Yet there was a big jump - an enormous jump, in fact - of 23 feet. Such
stuff must be every account manager's nightmare.

Yet, according to the team, Christine Madden, the head of marketing for
BBC1, was not difficult to convince. She even sanctioned one of the ad's
quirkier touches, a shapely naked woman playing the piano.

"It's true to the story,

she says. "There are images of beauty
throughout the film."

Madden admits that getting the big jump over with on the first day was a
huge relief: "I managed to get some sleep that night - the first I'd had
in three weeks!"

It was not an easy task either for the producers and crew. While the BBC
Broadcast producer Edel Erickson sought clearance to use around 15
rooftops, the first assistant director told everyone to put 999 into the
speed dial of their mobile phones.

"There were safety experts throughout and we spent a long time
deliberating the script and his safety. That was of the utmost concern,"
Madden said.

Carty was never in any doubt about Belle's safety. Studying him in Paris
helped Carty not only to understand the philosophy and Belle's ability,
but to work out the best way of capturing it.

The team enhanced the script by watching Belle - who they describe as
the Bruce Lee of the movement - and using shorthand to refer to certain
moves, such as 'monkey' and 'spiderman'.

"Most people have said David's mad,

Carty says. "He's not at all. He's
very calm, very low-pulse. He works out the measurements in his mind
first, like Schwarzenegger, as though he's got a computer in his head.
Then it's just yes or no. There's no bravado - he doesn't take
risks."

On-set, Belle was able to tell Carty to the exact stone where he was
going to land so that he could position his camera. It was important for
Carty to show the complete move so that the viewer understands that
there are no tricks or stunts involved.

Belle was also given complete freedom to choreograph his own moves. "It
was important to give him the space and the respect he needed to do the
job - not that he was arrogant or a superstar. He wasn't - he was a very
humble man,

Ewart says.

The respect, admiration and incredulity inspired by Belle have not been
restricted to those who worked with him. These emotions are also stirred
in viewers of the commercial.

Perhaps even more importantly, the BBC is more likely to be taken
seriously by the younger audience it seeks to address as the film exudes
an effortless cool. When the BBC beats Nike at its own game, you know
it's on to a winner.